Leading Us in Worship on Sunday
Minister of Word and Sacrament – Rev. Jaci Smith Patman
Advent Candlelighters – Karl, Kathryn, and Christine Guthjahr
Readers – Zach Logan, Usi Mix, Keith Patman, Margaret Smith
Organist/Director of Music – Dr. Heather Ankerbrand
Prelude In the Bleak Midwinter Gustav Holst/Mark Schweizer
Lighting of the Advent Wreath
Children of God, what are we waiting for?
We wait for joy that cannot be stolen, joy that wells up, even in wilderness places. We wait for laughter to ring out in mourning, for songs of gladness to rise in broken streets. We wait for joy that is more than happiness. We are waiting to rejoice in God’s unshakable love.
Sung Response #113 Angels We Have Heard vs. 2
Call to Worship Isaiah 11:1-5
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
Hymn #94 Now the Heavens Start to Whisper
Call to Offering
Offertory Of the Father’s Love Begotten Plainchant/Wilbur Held
Sung Response #143 Angels, from the Realms of Glory, vs. 4
All creation, join in praising God the Father, Spirit, Son
evermore your voices raising to th'eternal Three in One:
come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn king!
Prayer of Dedication, Prayers of the People, Lord’s Prayer
Reading Micah 5:2-5a Bethlehem
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
And he shall be their peace.
Hymn #121 O Little Town of Bethlehem
Reading Luke 1:26-38 The Annunciation
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Hymn #86 The People Who Walked in Darkness
Reading Luke 1:46-55 The Magnificat
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Anthem Once He Came in Blessing Mark Sedio
Karen Young, clarinet
Once he came in blessing, all our sins redressing;
came in likeness lowly, Son of God most holy;
bore the cross to save us; hope and freedom gave us.
Still he comes within us; still his voice would win us
from the sins that hurt us; would to truth convert us
from our foolish error ere he comes in terror.
Thus if we have known him, thus, not ashamed to own him,
nor have spurned him coldly, but will trust him boldly,
He will then receive you, heal you, and forgive you.
Those who then are loyal find a welcome toral.
Come, then, O Lord Jesus, from our sins release us;
let us here confess you, till in heaven we bless you.
Reading Matthew 1:18-25 Gabriel Appears to Joseph
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Anthem An Advent Reflection Joseph M Martin
In the shadows of our waiting, in the stillness of our night,
in the shadows, we are listening for the music of your light.
Now into our fragile longing, we lift our voice and we pray.
Come, O come, Emmanuel. Come, sing into our lives today.
In the quiet of our worship, in the whisper of our prayers.
We are yearning for assurance, and new hope for our despair.
With each candle's golden flicker, we cry to you in faith.
Come, O come, Emmanuel. Come, heal our wounded heart today.
Come, Promised One! Come, and fill this place.
How we long for your embrace.
Come, live in our praise! Live in our praise!
In the rising of our spirits [Come, Lord Jesus], in the beauty of your love.
We find mercy, we find comfort [Come, Messiah], strength to lift our eyes above.
Now we see your star before us, teach us to follow and obey.
Come, O come, Emmanuel. Come, shine upon our world today.
Come, sing into our night. Come, heal our wounded hearts.
Come, shine upon our world today.
[Words in brackets are sung simultaneously with the preceding words.]
Reading Luke 1:67-79 The Song of Zechariah
And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child [John], will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Hymn #104 O Lord, How Shall I Meet You
Reading Numbers 24:17 A Prophecy of Balaam
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.
It shall crush the foreheard of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Hymn #92 While We Are Waiting, Come
Reading Isaiah 40:1-11 Comfort for God's People
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.
A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
Anthem Come, O Long-Expected Jesus David Lasky
Come, O long-expected Jesus, born to set your people free;
from our fears and sins release us; free us from captivity.
Israel's strength and consolation, you, the hope of all the earth,
dear desire of every nation, come and save us by your birth.
Born your people to deliver, born a child and yet a king;
born to reign in us forever, now your gracious kingdom bring.
By your own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone;
by your all sufficient merit, raise us to your glorious throne.
Benediction
Hymn #87 Comfort, Comfort, Now My People
Charge
Go in peace to love and serve God.
Thanks be to God.
Postlude Savior of the Nations, Come
Chant/M Luther/J Pachelbel
